Thomas

Gareth Manning, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

While squatter settlements are being fingered as a root cause of Jamaica's crime problem, physical planners at the University of Technology (UTech) say they ought not to be blamed.

The planners say a holistic approach to development in the country is lacking. They argue, for example, the current hotel expansion programme cannot be done in isolation, but should be integrated with infrastructural and affordable housing development to accommodate migrating locals in search of opportunities in these areas.

Civic leaders, in St. James, contend that many squatter communities in the parish were formed during the growth of hotels between the late 1960s and 1980s when the tourism expanded. These communities now contribute to 70 per cent of murders in the parish, police say, and the current expansion could create more of these communities.

New approach

"A new approach needs to be taken. We used to put, in infrastructure before we build, but it should now be broader to put in social capital," Audrey Thomas, head of UTech's faculty of the Built Environment says.

"We have a problem of real housing shortage. There are not enough solutions to accommodate migrants (to resort areas) seeking jobs in these hotels," she adds.

Her views are supported by Desmond Hall, programme director of urban and regional planning at Utech's School of Building. He contended that the approach to providing housing in the country is reactive rather than proactive.

He says the housing market has never responded to migration and so investors and the government should not wait until people pour in from other areas before housing for them is developed.

"In 1982, the housing backlog was 55,000 housing solutions. Today the backlog is 28,000, so it took us over 20 years to reduce the backlog by half," he notes.

But with the hotel expansion programme already under way, the physical planners say what should be done now to prevent squatting is revive the rental market, so people seeking seasonal work in hotels will have access to affordable housing and quickly.

"Make it attractive to investors. People need to know they can find a house for temporary living," Mr. Hall says. He says it should be spearheaded by the private sector and not the government.

The planners are also advocating that squatter settlements be regularised quickly to stem their spread and more creative ways put into formulating land usage so more land is available for housing.

"Hotels should be part of the development package working with the NHT, NHDC and the Government agencies to provide affordable housing," Thomas told The Sunday Gleaner.